`Friend` Experience Grand Slam

`Friend,` the Korean film that has broken the most records of the Korean film history, challenges, in this weekend, June 2 and 3, to break another record of the greatest number of audience in Seoul.

The current record is 2.5 million set by `Joint Security Area (JSA)` last year. By May 29, 2.46 million Seoulins have watched `Friend,` which needs 40 thousands more to break the record.

By now, about 10 thousands during weekdays and 50 thousands of spectators during the weekend have gathered in the theater to enjoy with the `Friend.` Therefore, a new record of `over 2.5 million spectators in Seoul` is strongly expected by Saturday, June 2. A challenge is that blockbusters, including `Pearl Harbor,` is to open on June 2 and consequently the number of the theaters playing `Friend` will be dramatically reduced from current 35 theaters. However, Korea Pictures, the production of `Friend,` positively anticipated the establishment of the new record on June 3. The production recently made a contract to export `Friend` to Japan for 2.1 million dollars. The export price is higher than that of `JSA` (2 million dollars) but lower than that of `Wonderful Days` (2.5 million dollars).

`Friend` has set up series of new records, including the greatest number of the audience (7,456,905 by May 30), the fastest break of the 7 million (M) spectators, the greatest number of audience at the opening weekend (582,902), the fastest breaks of the 1 M, 2 M, 2 M, 4 M, 5 M, and 6 million spectators, and the shortest time for the recovery of the production cost (2 days).

Kang Sue-Jean sjkang@donga.com